Over the past century or more, the genres of fantasy, horror, and supernatural fiction have increasingly expanded beyond literature and into an array of media-film, television, comic books, and art. Many of the leading figures in the field engage in multimedia enterprises that allow their work to reach a much wider public than the mere readers of books. In Disorders of Magnitude: A Survey of Dark Fantasy, Jason V Brock analyzes the intersection of literature, media, and genre fiction in essays, reviews, and pioneering interviews. Beginning with the pulp magazines of the 1920s, Brock studies such dynamic figures as H. P. Lovecraft, Forrest J Ackerman, Harlan Ellison, and the Southern California writers known collectively as "The Group"-Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Rod Serling, and William F. Nolan. This collection also includes filmmakers Roger Corman, George Romero, and Dan O'Bannon, and such fantasy artists as H. R. Giger. Graced with dozens of photographs from the author's personal collection, this wide-ranging study offers a kaleidoscopic look at the multifarious ways in which fantasy, horror, and the supernatural have permeated our culture. Brock-himself a fiction writer, critic, and filmmaker-concludes the book with touching eulogies to the recently deceased Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen. Highlighting so many figures essential to the understanding of fantasy and horror, Disorders of Magnitude will appeal to fans of these fiction genres around the world.
Section One: The Darkest Age The Smoldering Past: The Creation of the Modern from Frankenstein and Dracula to the Great War and Beyond "Cosmic Introspection": Lovecraft's Attainment of Personal Value by Way of Infinite Insignificance Forrest J Ackerman: Fan Zero Gathering Darkness: In Appreciation of the Artists of Weird Tales Frank M. Robinson: First Fandom and Beyond Section Two: Things Become The Burden of Now: Welles's "Panic Broadcast," World War II, and Creeping Anomie Ray Bradbury: The Boy Who Never Grew Up Cinematic Dream Logic: How Movies Permanently Altered the Fabric of Reality Individual Sexual Liberation Becomes Social Emancipation: Playboy Changes the World Harlan Ellison (R): L'Enfant Terrible (Sort Of) Section Three: The Rise of the Speculative Mind Rod Serling: Articulating the American Nightmare A Howling at Owl Creek Bridge: Observations on Two Important Twilight Zone Episodes George Clayton Johnson: A Touch of Strange L'Age d'Or to Goetterdammerung: How Bradbury, Serling, Beaumont, and "The Group" Shaped a Pop Future Roger Corman: Socially Conscious Auteur Finding Sanctuary: Running from the Zone to Logan The Long Nuclear Shadow: Atomic Horror, Godzilla, and the Cold War The Horror of It All! EC and the Beginnings of Modern Media HOOHAH! Madly Yours, Al Feldstein An End, a Middle, a Beginning: Richard Matheson and His Impact Section Four: Slashers, Blockbusters, and Bestsellers Riding the Dark Wave: The Role of Dystopian Science Fiction in Popular Culture Celluloid Asylum: O'Bannon, Romero, Carpenter, and the Liberals Lose (and Find) Their Collective Minds Terrible Beauty: Slasher Film Connections to Conservatism, Pornography, and Misogyny King of the Dead: Filmmaker George A. Romero on Politics, Film, and the Future Dan O'Bannon: Not Gone, Not Forgotten H. R. Giger: A Darkness Faster Than Light The Emperor's New Book: How Stephen King Saved Horror, Created Clive Barker (and Sam Raimi) . . . and Killed Publishing The Doctor Is In: F. Paul Wilson Sounds Horrific: Art Rock, Soundtracks, and the Zeitgeist Section Five: A Century of Speculation Carnivora: The Dark Art of Automobiles David J. Skal: Monster Kid Ambassador of Horror Seasons in Hell Kris Kuksi: Dark Horizons in the Realm of the Senses Bluewater Comics's Darren G. Davis: On the Run in the Digital Age of Comics The H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival: Cosmic Chaos on the Silver Screen S. T. Joshi: Champion of the Weird Tale Marc Scott Zicree: As Timeless as Infinity Section Six: From (and Into) the Beyond Fangoria's Chris Alexander: Cinephilia, Music, and All the Rest of It Bruce Campbell: From The Evil Dead to Burn Notice and Beyond The Inner World of William F. Nolan The Mammoth Book of Body Horror Two of a Kind: Lee-Anne Raymond and Demetrios Vakras "Cthulhu, a Vampire, and a Zombie Walk into a Bar . . .": Why These Themes, Why Now, and What's the Matter with Hollyweird? John Shirley: The Tao of Identity Ray Harryhausen: A Note on the Passage of Giants Kneeling at the Dandelion Shrine: An Appreciation William F. Nolan and Ray Bradbury: Reflections Introduction: The Pope of Speculative Fiction Future Shock? (De)Parting Thoughts Appendices Index About the Author
